Firefighters discover body with trauma during Rockford fire call

ROCKFORD — Evidence indicates that a man whose body was found partially burned Monday morning inside an 8,000-square-foot call center was the victim of a homicide, police said.

A man in his 30s was found deceased when Rockford Fire Department firefighters responded about 5:30 a.m. to the activation of an automated sprinkler system inside QVSM, Quancor Virtual Sales & Marketing, Inc., in the 300 block of North Alpine Road.

There had been a small fire in a corner office where the man’s body was found, Rockford Police Department Sgt. Timothy Speltz said.

It is not known what killed the man, but Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said there were signs of trauma.

Detectives found evidence that the death was the likely result of a homicide, Deputy Chief Dave Hopkins said in a news release. The cause of death has not been released.

Although police have identified the victim, that information was withheld pending family notification, the release said.

Police arrived about 6 a.m., 30 minutes after the initial fire call. It was not known how long the body was there.

Activation of the sprinklers flooded the offices.

Building management was waiting for the on-scene investigation to draw to a close for the chance to enter the shopping center-type building to remove water and begin repairs.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rockford police at 815-987-5824 or Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.